(MANILA STANDARD) Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has filed Senate Resolution No. 695 seeking to commend and congratulate James Aranas and Johann Chua for securing the country’s historic fourth World Cup of Pool title, the most for any country, in Lugo, Spain early this month.
“Their journey from being underdogs to unexpected champions, toppling high-ranking players and defending titleholders, and in the process, setting off the country’s resurgence and supremacy in the sport, can inspire the entire nation to overcome current adversities and challenges,” Estrada said.
Aranas and Chua not only ended the decade-long title drought in the annual international single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball competition, their record-breaking victory also reaffirmed the country’s standing as the best in the sport.
The Philippines is now the winningest country in the World Cup of Pool, breaking the tie with three-time winner China.
Aranas and Chua are the third Filipino pair to rule the World Cup of Pool, joining the legendary duo of Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes and Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante who ruled the inaugural competition in 2006 and replicated their feat in 2009, and the tandem of Dennis Orcollo and Lee Vann Corteza who bagged the title in 2013.
Aranas and Chua, both 31 years old, entered the tournament unseeded and became the first unseeded team to ever capture the championship title.
The duo’s remarkable journey started in the early rounds as they knocked out Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide of Spain, the 2022 defending champions, in a 7-5 match on June 27.
The Philippine pair again prevailed versus another bet of the host country, Jose Alberto Delgado and Jonas Souto Comino, with a convincing win of 7-2 on June 30.
They continued their winning streak in the quarterfinals, dominating the team from Chinese Taipei composed of Ko Pin Yi and Ko Ping Chung in a thrilling 9-8 match.
In the semifinals face-off, they stunned spectators as they outplayed Albin Ouschan and Mario He from Austria, two-time event titleholders.
The Aranas-Chua duo proved unstoppable at the finals when they took down Germans Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen with an 11-7 victory.
“Aranas and Chua’s impressive achievement on the international sports stage, which brought immense honor and pride to the country, as well as their masterful display of technical skill, unparalleled teamwork, and fortitude against formidable opponents, are feats worthy of recognition from the Senate,” the veteran lawmaker said.